Strategy Matters: Positive Branding and the Customer Experience in Purchasing

What is it like to buy your product? If a smaller business manages the purchasing experience well, the reward is not only a loyal customer who buys again and is your advocate but also a polishing of your brand. Here's how

When some people think of the term "brand," they may think of the stuff that a PR or a corporate marketing team does to create a tag line. They might think of the pretty slicks full of marketing language that "position" the company. But a brand is (and I know you readers have heard me say this before, so my apologies for being redundant!) more than the fluff. And for small and midsize businesses in highly competitive markets, clear branding helps differentiate your products from your competitors'.

Nilofer Merchant

A brand is the ultimate integration of everything a company does. It's the packaging -- because the ease and simplicity involved in "getting the product" is part of the experience. Yes, it does include material that the analyst relations and PR teams pay attention to. Of course, it also has to involve the product design and features. It also gets conveyed in the way your sales force sells it. It is everything that, when added up, creates an impression of what the company is all about.

In other words: Brand Objective = What you believe => What you do (across everything) => Reality of what customer experiences = Brand Perception by Customer

Rethinking the Customer Experience
How much thought goes into the experience your customers receive when they purchase your product or service? Should you rethink it?

It's a great exercise to purchase your products every year to find out what happens at each step along the way. Whether the purchase involves a complex channel transaction, punching your keyboard as you order online, or simply walking into a retail store, knowing what the customer experiences firsthand is important. Without that information it's impossible to be sure whether or not the purchase process is supporting your brand promise.

Here are some points to think about:

1. The buying experience should reflect your product and your company. If your product is security software and your channel partners are a sharky-looking group that will remind customers of used-car salesmen from the '60s, you might want to rethink the message you're sending customers. Online purchases should be accurate, respect and protect customer privacy, and offer exceptional ease of purchase. Your retail distribution channels should display merchandise well, process sales quickly, and offer appropriate levels of support.
2. Check your packaging. If your packaging isn't recyclable and your company uses a large quantity of plastic per box, perhaps your campaign aligning your brand with "green" issues is an error. Put your brand into everything you do and make sure that all the components in the box or in the download support the way you want your customers to feel.
3. Exceed customer expectations post-purchase. A friend who is an expert software user told me that he e-mailed Inspiration Software when he found a feature he used frequently had been deleted between versions 7 and 8. He was shocked to receive a phone call from the head of product management. Such service almost never happens. Make customers talk about your company with a tone of astonishment in their voices.

The right buying experience creates loyal customers who purchase again. That same customer becomes an advocate who communicates with friends and family about your products via text messaging, blogging, and phone calls.

Build Loyalty at Every Step
Loyalty is an interesting topic. Some think it's "won at setup." That might be true, but it's important to realize that "setup" actually has its genesis way back in awareness. How a brand is represented as a customer moves through awareness, consideration, selection, and purchase should help build loyalty to both the brand and the company at each step. It's about a great customer experience that bonds the customer to your company and its products.

Winning that battle means your customer is far less likely to look to other vendors. Here are some ideas that will help you in the pursuit:

1. Be generous. Customers are a lot like us. We all know the people who trust us and are generous with us are going to get a lot back in return. Give customers more than they think they'll get.
2. Resonate. Sales and service are experiences that resonate with our heart, a rendezvous that engages our emotions. Notice what the customer wants and then reflect that.
3. Include. Customers like companies that give them a chance to put some "skin in the game." Every customer from grandma-consumer to ponytail-IT manager wants to be included. Ask for their opinions, develop communities, thank them.
4. Delight. We all get a smile on our face when we get cared for. The person who sends the thank-you note still stands out in this day and age. Appreciate your customers.
5. Educate. Customers need to know more every day. They expect service providers and software vendors to teach them. Do it and add value -- this is ultimately about customer empowerment.

The near-term reward in managing the customer's purchase experience is consistency in messaging that leads to customer delight and loyalty. Over the longer term, those same customers will be transformed into advocates who tell their version of your story and help you win markets.

Read other Strategy Matters columns by Nilofer Merchant

Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting, is a global high-tech industry thought leader and trusted strategic adviser for companies such as Adobe, Symantec, and VMware. She publishes and speaks frequently on strategy, innovation, and leadership.